Fantasy Football Week 3: Top 5 Injury Reports You Must Know About

While the official injury report for the NFL isn’t going to be released until Friday, there are some final injury issues that many of you need to know about.

These five reports will allow you to get an insider’s scoop on these players, and I will also provide a look at what waiver wire options could be suitable as a fill-in player or pickup altogether.

Let’s take a quick look.

1. Roscoe Parrish – Out for the Season:

The Injury: The Bills have placed Parish on IR with a bum ankle officially ending his season, meaning the once great WR 2 fantasy option could even been in-line for a retirement consideration.

The Waiver Solution: Conversely, the Bills have an exciting receiver in David Nelson who faces the worst passing offense in the league: The New England Patriots.

Even if the Patriots build a lead, the Bills are still going to bring the heat, and with Ryan Fitzpatrick already throwing seven touchdowns to one interception, and Steven Johnson facing a game-time decision, Nelson’s value has significantly increased, making him a safe add.

2. The Entire Raiders Receiving Staff!

The Injury: Jacoby Ford (knee), Louis Murphy (Hernia) and Darrius Heyward-Bey (knee) will all be questionable at best this week, along with Kevin Boss who isn’t likely to play in Week 3 with a knee injury.

The Waiver Solution: Denarius Moore will have a tough matchup against the Jets this week, but some waiver wire additions are done for the long-term, rather than the short-term. Heyward-Bey has already been passed on the depth chart by Moore, and with the other injuries showing threats of lingering for more than this week, the likelihood of Moore putting in another quality outing for several weeks is very high.  

A solid addition to your lineup.

3. Aaron Hernandez – out 4 to 6 Weeks:

The Injury: Hernandez suffered an MCL sprain which is not as bad as the other versions of knee injuries offered in football. But what is difficult to get a read on is the actual timetable.

Boston.com—who first reported the injury—reports 1 to 2 weeks, but Comcast Sports Network New England speculate 4 to 6 weeks.

The Waiver Solution: Rob Gronkowski—either way—will be the main focal point in an offense that already is in high gear and features the tight end a lot, so injury bodes well for those of you who can actually run out and snatch the guy up. Gronkowski is an exceptional grab for Week 3.

4. Mario Manningham – Concussion:

The Injury: Manningham never returned in Week 2 after slamming his head on the turf, and his availability for Week 3 is in serious doubt.

The Waiver Solution: While this injury will take a few days to get a solid read on, Giants’ receiver Victor Cruz is now in-line to see a significant increase in snaps this week against the Eagles.

But the other issue here is that Hakeem Nicks is banged up and Domenik Hixon’s surgically repaired knee was giving him trouble this week, making him a Week 3 liability. Cruz could simply wind up being the forgotten man on the field against an Eagles secondary that will do their best to focus on the outside pass contain, since they know the Giants' receivers will be slightly hurt.

5. Miles Austin – Out Until October 6th?

The Injury: Miles Austin’s injured hamstring is being speculated as an injury that could keep him out until October 6, which does make sense, since the Cowboys tend to err on the side of caution with their star players.

The Waiver Solution: Since Jason Witten and Dez Bryant are already owned in nearly every league, the next available guy in the lineup who is going to see more snaps is Jesse Holley, who could be a nice addition in deeper formats.

Austin will miss some significant time no matter how we slice this, so for those of you in shallow leagues, you'll have a week or two to see whether or not he (Holley) is worth the add.

Either way, I think Holley has a lot of potential.

I hope this helps you guys, and for more advice, check out my Week 3 Quarterback Rankings.